The College Athletes Who Are Allowed to Make Big Bucks: Cheerleaders

“The image of a cheerleader is kind of like Chevrolet and hot dogs and apple pie,” Fitzpatrick said.

High school cheerleaders are also cashing in, with no risk of voiding their eligibility to cheer in college. Ryan Cummings, a 16-year-old from North Carolina, gained fame and 437,000 Instagram followers after a GIF of her making a sassy expression during a cheer routine in 2018 became an internet meme. She gets money for posts on TikTok and, like other cheerleaders, sells autographed bows and has hired an agent to help her negotiate deals.

Her teammate, Kenley Pope, 15, has had Instagram partnerships with Casetify, Novashine, Ivory Ella and Crocs, which paid her $2,000 for posts. Pope’s mother and coach, Courtney Smith-Pope, helps her determine which products to promote.

Smith-Pope owns Cheer Extreme Athletics, a gym in Kernersville, N.C., that has produced multiple cheerlebrities over the years. She said she doesn’t need to dictate the endorsements her athletes accept. “These kids own their own talents and their own abilities,” she said, a sentiment shared by many coaches.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/sports/the-college-athletes-who-are-allowed-to-make-big-bucks-cheerleaders.html